Jeremy Nygaard

As Spring Training approaches, we’ve hashed and re-hashed Prospect Lists. We’ve dissected the signing of Kevin Correia many times over. We’ve projected lineups of every affiliate.

There are few things more informative than talking with those that are behind the information. So today let’s do something else. Let’s talk scouting with West Coast Scouting Supervisor Sean Johnson.

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First off, huge thanks to Sean! As baseball is starting to get rolling, he took ...

Tags: draft, scouting

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With the deadline being moved up by a month, we've seen many draft picks come to terms and report. I usually take the week following the draft to gather information and then make a (somewhat educated) guess at what draft picks will sign and which will return or go to college. (Going to have to shorten that time frame up in the future.)

Now that the draft has been shortened by 10 rounds, it is hard to use precedence to set a number on how many players the team will sign. I'm guessing ...

Updated 06-12-2012 at 05:18 PM by Jeremy Nygaard

Tags: buxton, draft, twins

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Last Tuesday night during Seth's weekly podcast, I expressed some surprise that the Twins hadn't drafted a middle infielder yet. Right away Wednesday morning, the Twins drafted a high schooler from Lexington (KY) Catholic (Ben Rever's alma mater).

Not only did they get a guy who can slot in nicely to the system's middle infield, but they got a guy that will go far in MiLB.com's annual "best name contest". I had the chance recently to exchange some emails with one of the newest Twins. ...

Updated 06-10-2012 at 08:43 PM by Jeremy Nygaard

Tags: draft, will hurt

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Some semi-random thoughts on a few of the players selected today:

Will Hurt, SS, Lexington (KY) Catholic HS – Committed to Coastal Carolina. Hurt is fast – and why wouldn’t he be, coming from the same high school as Ben Revere. As this point, I don’t think he’ll sign for 16^th round money, but that tune may change as the deadline approaches.

Zach Larson, CF, Lakewood (FL) Ranch HS – Though he was drafted in the 20^th round, Larson appears to be a high school guy that will ...

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The Twins added another right-handed pitcher from Rice in the 5th round - Tyler Duffey. Duffey currently shares the closer distinction with 2nd round pick J.T. Chargois. While Chargois was the higher-rated prospect, Duffey had the better numbers. Duffey, however, is not the power-pitcher that Chargois is, but will probably be given a chance to start given his ability to throw a low-90s fastball, a slider and a change-up. If the change-up doesn't come around, he'll be shifted back to the bullpen; ...

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The second round opened with the Twins selecting LHRP Mason Melotakis out of Northwestern State. Unlike Bard before him, who will get a chance to be a starter, Melotakis will most likely start in the bullpen. He sold himself with an excellent performance in the Cape Cod League. Melotakis is a mid-90s power arm that will probably pitch some rookie-ball innings and then join the Beloit bullpen this summer.

Nine picks later (and with Mitchell Brown still available!), the Twins took ...

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As expected, the Twins drafted Georgia OF Byron Buxton second overall (though it came with a little uncertainty after Carlos Correa, not Mark Appel, went first).

Shortly after 9:30 local time, the Twins were back on the clock. Conventional wisdom suggested the Twins were going to take local product Mitch Brown.

Instead, the Twins pegged Puerto Rican P Jose Orlando Berrios. Berrios (who I wrote about a few weeks ago) is the third Puerto Rican to go in the top two rounds ...

Updated 06-04-2012 at 10:45 PM by Jeremy Nygaard

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This is version 1.0 (and most likely the only one).

My mock draft:
1. Astros – P Mark Appel, Stanford. It comes down to him or Buxton.
2. Twins – OF Byron Buxton, Georgia HS. Correa gaining.
3. Mariners – SS Carlos Correa, Puerto Rico. The Mariners are unpredictable. I think it comes down to Correa or Buxton
4. Orioles – P Kevin Gausman, LSU. Bundy and Gausman could form a lethal combination.
5. Royals – P Kyle Zimmer, San Francisco. Will they pass ...

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Originally posted at www.ManCenter.com

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Looking through names that expect to called next week, there are a few that seem to fit various patterns that the Twins have followed over the last handful of years. None of these names have appeared in any other preview that I've written.

Luke Anderson, RHP, North Dakota State - Anderson is originally from Prior Lake, MN, so there is a very good chance he's been on the Twins radar for awhile. A senior with ...

Updated 06-03-2012 at 01:33 PM by Jeremy Nygaard

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As you probably know, the MLB Draft will be taking place in just a little over a week. There is a lot of draft-related material scattered all over this very website. Among them are a handful of Draft Previews that I've written. Recently, there was a lengthy thread started by "cmb0252" which is all about the draft.

What follows is a tag team effort between myself and "cmb0252" (I'm not sure if he's ready to introduce himself to the world yet), which took place over the last couple of ...

Tags: byron buxton, carlos correa, draft, kevin gausman, mitch brown

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Originally posted at www.ManCenter.com
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June 4th marks the 1st round of the MLB Amateur Draft. LSU So P Kevin Gausman figures to be one of the first names called. We had a chance to catch up with him today to talk draft, the season and donuts.

Thanks for taking the time to answer some questions and letting us get to know a little bit more about you.

Obviously, the MLB draft is different from other sports in that it happens while many guys are still ...

Tags: draft, kevin gausman

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This article was orignially posted at ManCenter.com

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Initially my plan was to continue the series with a preview of the Midwest. While the Twins do a pretty good job of locating and selecting talent from this area, it doesn't appear that there are a ton of top prospects from the area. So I'm pushing that preview back.

Instead I'm going to highlight a place that has been a great place to infuse talent into the Twins system: Puerto Rico.

...

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If you're at all looking forward to the June Rule IV baseball draft as a Twins fans, there is no doubt that you're already familiar with a handful of names: Appel, Giolito, Buxton, Zunino, and most recently, Zimmer.

If you're a fan of following the Twins draft at all, there are some terms you're probably familiar with: "strike-thrower", "long and lean", "wiry/athletic" or (my personal favorite Gardyism) "a grinder".

You're always going to find draft picks that are breaks ...

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The annual baseball Rule IV baseball draft is less than four months away. And while both the college and high school seasons still have to be played, it’s never too early to start looking ahead at the draft.

This draft takes on an added interest if you’re a Twins fan. The team has not drafted higher than 14^th overall since taking some guy named Mauer with the top overall pick in 2001. The 2012 draft brings not only the #2 overall pick, but also six total picks in the Top 100. ...

Updated 02-14-2012 at 06:45 AM by Jeremy Nygaard

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